Fantasy Fun Archives - Yes You Can Costumes

Hello, friends! I’m going to try to take pretty pictures and still keep things real on this blog. So, in that spirit, I am going to give you the scoop: Taking group shots of these little rascals is HARD.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Blooper-Annika-1-1024x819.jpg — Annika, stop chewing the scenery.

So hard, in fact that I considered scrapping this photo shoot midway through. However, I would have missed out on some beautiful moments . . . And the gift of these bloopers that will make us laugh for years to come!

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Blooper-Elliott-1-1024x819.jpg — Elliott wasn’t feeling it at the start of the photo shoot.

I like the side-eye Eliza is giving me in the first image, and Annika’s fierce, cookie-biting face in the second.

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I wanted the kids to be lined up from youngest to oldest, but Annika had other ideas . . . Then, I had to tell the older ones to just let her in wherever. They were trying to be good and tell Annika where she was *supposed* to go, but that was only causing a new kerfuffle.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Blooper-Annika-5-1024x819.jpg — Easily the most exhausting part of photographing a group of young ones is to convince all of them to be as flexible as *you*, the photographer, have to be!

Oliver knows how to smile ’til it hurts…

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At this point, I was thinking, “Perhaps it really is unreasonable to expect everyone to look simultaneously thrilled to be here”.

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Eliza saw me editing this next series of photos and laughed so hard that she “let loose” . . . If you know what I mean. Right next to me. At the computer desk.

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You’ve been warned: Laugh responsibly.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Blooper-Annika-3-1024x819.jpg — Eliza is like, “BEEBS. Staaahhhp!!!”

. . . Annika doesn’t look at all mischievous, here . . .

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. . . Oliver was over it, and Eliza must have decided, “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em!”

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Eliza was disgruntled when I asked her to only use the recorder as a prop, as God intended.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Blooper-Eliza-1-1024x819.jpg — I mean, let’s be real: A recorder does not usually render beautiful music when in the hands of a small child.

However, I’ll give Eliza the last word in this homage to her amazing, recorder-inspired facial expressions.

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I allowed Eliza some free rein, then ask her to do a few “normal” faces. This is when she sternly told me “Next time, I get to pick how to be in the pictures”.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Blooper-Eliza-4-1024x819.jpg — The photo on the right is Eliza setting me straight on who is really in charge of this operation.

. . . Aaannnddd, last but not least, this is what is really happening behind the scenes: Jeff is there with his steady patience and amazing child-wrangling skills. He is the master of coaxing unwilling smiles and keeping everyone upbeat. (Including me!)

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Speaking of Jeff, I may be the one making the costumes, but his calm support makes all of this possible. His presence turned something stressful into something enjoyable. And, you know what? I got lovely shots, after all.

More Nutcracker Content

Marzipan

Marzipan Cookies – Homemade Nutcracker: How we made the delicious cookies that accompany this project.
DIY Upcycled Wool Mitts and Pins: Follow this link for a tutorial on how to make these beautiful mitts and coordinating pins.
Marzipan Reed Flutes – Homemade Nutcracker: Follow this link to see the final photo shoot!

We usually take our cue for Halloween costumes from whatever movie our kids are into. They were totally obsessed with the Wizard of Oz, this summer.

My in-laws gave the kids this beautiful Wizard of Oz storybook when they all came to the hospital to meet our newest baby, Annika. That pretty much sealed the deal on what our family costume theme would be.

The Wizard of Oz has additional sentimental value for me: My paternal grandmother was a Kansas farm girl. Like the Dorothy in the movie, she grew up in the wide open space of Western Kansas during the Great Depression. Here she is, in 1951, holding a Kansas sunflower. I grew up near Seattle, the “Emerald City”, and it was there that my grandmother introduced the Wizard of Oz movie to me.

Also, The Wizard of Oz was the first musical in which I was ever cast. I was thirteen, and I was completely stage-struck after that! I am the blonde girl on the left, wearing a black and yellow Jitterbug costume. My hand is resting on the shoulder of my youngest brother. My other brother was the Mayor of the Munchkin City. He is the boy in front, wearing the blue hat. My little sister was the tiniest Munchkin and she is being held by the Scarecrow.

Here we were, backstage with Toto. Fun fact: The boxes behind us were full of fortune cookies. (The backstage area was adjoined to an Asian food warehouse.)

Anyway, back to the present! As usual, it took a village to pull off costuming the entire family. My mother-in-law, Karen, has also been a costumer for years. Whenever I need something extra special, I know who to ask for help! I call Karen the “Accessories Queen”. She always has the best pieces that really complete a look and make a character extra recognizable, like the witch’s broom and black cape that she loaned me for my Wicked Witch of the West costume.

Karen provided hats for Jeff and me

and Emma’s wand.

She surprised us with the darling Toto basket for Eliza

and the funnel hat and ax for Elliott’s Tin Man costume.

Basically, the moral of the story is this: Even if you are already a costumer, be sure to befriend other costumers in your area and treat them like gold! Build community with them and share costume pieces! You will make friends and save money in the process. Just be sure to be a courteous borrower and return things promptly and in good, clean condition!